Savannah, GA

Savannah, GA - Page Text Content

S: Savannah - 2011

FC: Savannah - 2011

1: While Steve was working on a project at Gulfstream in Savannah I flew down for an extended weekend visit. We had a wonderful time visiting the historical sites. | Steve's workplace | Wagon at City Market | Spanish moss everywhere!

2: When I arrived the first thing we did was head to City Market for dinner. | Fried Green Tomatoes

3: Since the early 1700's, City Market has been the commercial and social center of historic Savannah. Located on the original site of the market used by farmers and traders of all kinds to sell their goods and wares, City Market offers the best of what is old and what is new in Savannah. Today, Savannah's City Market comprises a four-block area of restored warehouses and shop fronts adjacent to Ellis Square. This charming, open air-marketplace has a wealth of things to do in Savannah whether you come for the entertainment, to shop, dine or just rest your weary feet. | While we were waiting for our table at Belford's, I ventured next door to the Savannah Candy Shop. Yummy!

5: Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Construction began on the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in 1873 and was completed by the addition of the spires in 1896. It was almost totally destroyed by fire in 1898 and through diligent effort was rebuilt by 1899.

6: Colonial Park | The Colonial Park Cemetery, one of Savannah’s most beautiful restorations, is the final resting place for many of Savannah's earliest citizens. Established about 1750, it was the original burial ground for the Christ Church Parish. The cemetery was enlarged in 1789 to become the cemetery for people of all denominations. Among those buried here are Button Gwinnett, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. | More than 700 victims of the 1820 Yellow Fever epidemic are buried in Colonial Park Cemetery. There are also many victims of Savannah's tragic dueling era. Savannah history records the first dueling death in 1740 and the final shot fired in 1877. Many of the duels left a number of men dead from what one source calls acts of "too much honor." Some of the duels were fought in and around Colonial Park Cemetery.

7: Cemetery | Along the wall of the cemetery, you'll notice the headstones propped up here. These were the headstones that were removed by General Sherman's troops, when they set up camp in the cemetery. No one knows where they belong.

8: Ordered by General James Oglethorpe, Governor of the 13th colony, in 1732, the Tybee Island Light Station has been guiding mariners safe entrance into the Savannah River for over 270 years. The Tybee Island Light Station is one of America's most intact having all of its historic support buildings on its five-acre site. | Tybee Lighthouse

9: Key Lime Pie! | Low Country Boil

10: Riverfront Trolley

11: Florence Martus (1868 – 1943), aka "the Waving Girl", took it upon herself to be the unofficial greeter of all ships that entered and left the Port of Savannah, Georgia, between 1887 and 1931. From her rustic home on Elba Island, a tiny piece of land in the Savannah River near the Atlantic Ocean, Martus would wave a handkerchief by day and a lantern by night. According to legend, not a ship was missed in her forty-four years on watch. A statue of Martus by the sculptor Felix de Weldon has been erected in Morrell Park on the historic riverfront of Savannah. | The Waving Girl | Statue of Johnny Mercer in Ellis Square

12: "Come On Over" "I've got something for the girls of Savannah and all of American and all the world and we're going to start it tonight". Girl Scout Founder, Juliette Gordon Low's famous 1912 phone call that launched the organization. | Photo from 1936 | To more than 4 million Girl Scouts across the United States, the Juliette Gordon Low birthplace is a must- see Savannah attraction, affectionately known as the"Girl Scout Mecca". Juliette, nicknamed Daisy, was the founder of the Girl Scouts and lived out her childhood in the home which is now a National Historic Landmark.

13: Davenport House (Oglethorpe Square) Built in 1820 by Isaiah Davenport, this is a prime example of Federal Style architecture. Now a museum, it features fine plaster work and period furnishings. 324 East State St. | Owens-Thomas House (Reynolds Square) Considered the nation’s finest example of English Regency architecture, this house was designed by William Jay and built in 1816-1819. It has a formal English garden and a lovely carriage house. 124 Abercorn St. (I remember our tour guide telling us about the two stair cases and during parties the women were to enter on one and the men on the other.) | Historic Homes

14: Leopold's Ice Cream was founded in 1919 by three immigrant brothers from Greece. They learned the art of candy and dessert from an uncle who had already settled in America. The brothers perfected the secret formulas and created the world famous Leopold's VeriBest ice cream. Generations of Savannahians have loved Leopold's ice cream. Famed lyricist Johnny Mercer grew up a block away from Leopold's and was a faithful customer when he was home from Hollywood. Leopold's famous “Tutti-Frutti” ice cream has become a Leopold's hallmark and Savannah's favorite.

15: The Pirates' House is a historic restaurant and tavern established in 1753. It is thought to be the oldest standing building in the state of Georgia. The restaurant is one of Savannah Georgia's largest tourist attractions. It constantly hosted seaman, pirates and the underbelly of the society; in time, it earned a reputation of being a place the general public avoided. Savannah is home to many underground tunnels and the Pirate's House is the entrance to one of them. It is also home to some rare early edition pages of Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson. The pages can be seen hanging on the walls of the Captain's room and the Treasure room in the Pirates' House

16: Founded in 1755, the Independent Presbyterian Church was originally called The Presbyterian Church and is considered to be the mother of Georgia Presbyterianism. With its more than 250 years of history and authentic beauty, the church offers a special experience to people of all faiths. This was the steeple from the movie "Forrest Gump" that the feather floated down from in the beginning of the movie. | Chippewa Square was where Forrest sat with his box of chocolates on the bench in the movie "Forrest Gump". They have since moved the bench to a museum.

17: Savannah’s first Methodist Church, Wesley Chapel, was established in 1807 and located at the corner of Lincoln Street and Oglethorpe Avenue. The congregation later purchased a lot on Telfair Square where they erected the present Trinity church building. In 1862 Wesley Chapel was closed, and the two churches became one, known as Trinity Church. Trinity church also owned the lot facing Calhoun Square, and by 1874 plans were proceeding for the erection of a new church building on that lot. It was to be a monument to John and Charles Wesley. In December 1875, when the church was already under construction, the South Georgia conference passed a resolution approving the erection of a monument to John Wesley in the form of “a beautiful and commodious edifice” to be called Wesley Monumental Church and also approving the solicitation of funds from Methodists all over the world to aid in its completion. Funds were solicited and contributions were received from many areas of the world. For this reason, it has been said that Wesley Monumental Church belongs to all Methodists.

18: Forsyth Park | We had a great time in Forsyth Park. This is the famous fountain that is seen in many Savannah photos. We experienced a few new things there........Watermelon juice and watching a girls Rugby match.

19: Ironwork - in the form of fences, balconies, spires and statues - is a common sight in and around Savannah. Ships that came to Savannah for the cotton and rice brought in ballast ironwork for Savannah's new houses. | This house had faces of the presidents in the fence. | This fence was patterned after the one at Buckingham Palace in England. | Along River Street the streets are still paved with the cobblestones which were brought as ballast in early sailing ships. | Many of the roads and walkways in Savannah were made of Tabby, a building material consisting of lime, sand, water, and crushed oyster shells. It was developed and used by the English colonists. The labor-intensive process depended on slave labor to crush and burn the oyster shells to supply lime. They were combined with sand and water in wood forms to hold the shape until the material hardened. Tabby was used as a substitute for bricks, which were rare and expensive because of the absence of local clay. | Pineapples are a symbol of hospitality. In the early days party hostesses would set a pineapple on the porch to announce the start of the dinner party and remove it when it was time to go home.

20: We didn't get a chance to eat at Lady and Sons. There is always a long wait. I did shop in Paula Deen's shop and bought a few things. | Lady & Sons

21: Georgia’s rich history in agriculture is often linked back to cotton, a crop that revolutionized the state’s economy during dire times. Cottonseed are believed to have been planted in Florida in 1556 and in Virginia in 1607. By 1616, colonists were growing cotton along the James River in Virginia. It was first spun by machinery in England in 1730. The invention of the cotton gin in Savannah, Georgia paved the way for the important place cotton holds in the world today. | The 100-year-old cotton warehouses along River street are now converted to shops, restaurants, and boutiques. This overhead walkway above this drive was where men stood to examine the cotton being hauled down on wagons.